They're renowned for their cunning, but this tiny fox cub clearly wasn't feeling too bright when he got trapped inside an overflow pipe.

Luckily for him, a canine cousin was on hand to lend a helping paw.

Rover, an 11-year-old collie cross Labrador, sniffed out the stricken cub while on a walk with his owner Steven Miller in the grounds of the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh last Thursday.

Trapped! The 10-week-old cub was stuck fast after climbing into a pipe in the grounds of Edinburgh's Royal InfirmaryHe refused to let Mr Miller leave, alerting him to the 10-week-old fox's distress.

Animal rescue officer Steph Grant, from the Scottish SPCA, arrived to free the male cub and took him to the charity’s National Wildlife Rescue Centre in Clackmannanshire, where he was named Jacob.

Ms Grant said: 'The overflow pipe that Jacob had become trapped inside was extremely narrow and there is no way he would have been able to get himself out.

'Thankfully, I was able to rescue him from the tight spot he was in and, although frightened, he didn’t have any injuries.

'We don’t know how he managed to get himself into the pipe but one thing is for sure, Rover is a true canine hero for finding him.'

Rescuer: Rover, an 11-year-old collie cross, found the cub while on a walk with his owner, Steven Miller

Centre manager Colin Seddon said: 'Jacob was very lucky to have been discovered as he would have perished otherwise.

'He’s coming on really well and is now eating solid food.

'We’ve introduced him to three other fox cubs in our care and we are hopeful that they will all be released at a carefully-selected site when they are at the right age and stage to be able to fend for themselves in the wild.'